Knowra National Institute of Standards and Technology National Institute of Standards and Technology The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is a U.S. federal agency that advances measurement science and develops standards supporting technology, industry, and commerce.
International System of Units : The internationally agreed system of measurement units, including the second, meter, and kilogram. NIST realizes and disseminates U.S. measurement units within this global system.
Metrology : The science of measurement, including the realization, dissemination, and uncertainty of measurement standards. Metrology is the scientific discipline at the center of NIST’s mission.
National Bureau of Standards : The U.S. federal agency founded in 1901 that became the National Institute of Standards and Technology in 1988. It was NIST’s original institutional identity and predecessor.
Samuel Wesley Stratton : An American physicist who served as the first director of the National Bureau of Standards from 1901 to 1923. He established the bureau’s early scientific direction and laboratory culture.
International Bureau of Weights and Measures : The international organization that coordinates measurement standards and maintains the International System of Units. Unlike NIST, it coordinates measurement internationally rather than serving as a U.S. federal agency.
NIST Cybersecurity Framework : A NIST framework that helps organizations manage and reduce cybersecurity risk. It is among NIST’s best-known practical standards for organizations.
SI base units : The seven defining units of the International System of Units, including the second, meter, and kilogram. NIST maintains U.S. realizations of these fundamental units.
Organic Act of 1901 : The U.S. law that established the National Bureau of Standards in the Department of the Treasury. This act created the agency that later became NIST.
Edward Uhler Condon : An American physicist who directed the National Bureau of Standards from 1945 to 1951. His directorship guided the bureau during the postwar expansion of U.S. science.
International Organization for Standardization : An independent international organization that develops voluntary standards across many industries and fields. ISO develops broad consensus standards, while NIST is a U.S. government science and measurement agency.
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